Parolee who ran from officer in Ascutney back in jail after heroin found

Police from across region responded to officer's call for help

WHITE RIVER JUNCTION - A Windsor resident who bolted and ran nearly a half-mile on foot in an attempt to get away from a Weathersfield police officer Monday afternoon is back in jail after Corrections officials revoked his parole as a result of the incident.

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Marshall Gagne, 27, who grew up in Ascutney, had been furloughed from a series of drug convictions that he picked up in 2012 which carry maximum sentences of up to 10 years behind bars.

Weathersfield Police Officer Larry Muldoon wrote in an affidavit filed with the court that he was doing a routine patrol Monday afternoon when he spotted Brooke Class driving a car along Route 5.

Officer Muldoon said that since he knew Class had an arrest warrant outstanding he began to follow her at which point he said she pulled into the parking lot of the Jiffy Mart and “quickly ran into the store and into the women’s restroom.”

Muldoon then spoke to Gagne, who was in the passenger seat of Class’s car, and asked him if he was allowed to be with Class under the terms of his release from prison.

“(Gagne) stated that he was, for child visits,” Muldoon recounted, adding, “(Gagne) then said that he had been hitchhiking and Class had just picked him up.”

When Class emerged from the store Muldoon placed her under arrest and then resumed his attempts to check Gagne’s parole conditions at which point, Muldoon wrote, Gagne got back into the car and began backing out of the parking space.

“I had Gagne stop and exit the car,” Muldoon recounted, telling him “I was going to detain him until I could speak with Probation & Parole.”

Muldoon said he was moving to place handcuffs on Gagne when he suddenly pulled away and began running from the gas station onto Route 131 and then nearby Tenny Hill Road as Muldoon gave chase.

After a half-mile Gagne stopped and Muldoon had him down on the ground in a prone position as he radioed for backup from state police and surrounding agencies.

A pair of volunteer firefighters initially helped Muldoon restrain Gagne and then Windsor Police Officer Christopher Aher arrived on the scene and got Gagne into handcuffs.

Aher then searched Gagne and turned up 50 bags of heroin packed in 10-bag “bundles,” according to the affidavit.

Gagne faces a maximum potential penalty of up to an additional 6 years in jail if he were to be convicted of the new charges.

Marshall Gagne, seen during a 2012 court appearance where he was charged with heroin trafficking just hours after he'd returned home from the same courtroom after receiving a deferred sentence for cocaine possession